


The Cat in the Cafe

by Umbreon900 (orphan_account)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Cafes, Fear of the colour Red, Fluff because the fandom needs more for this kid, Gen, Humanstuck, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Social Anxiety, prosthetic leg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-12 18:14:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11167359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Umbreon900
Summary: Nepeta is your regular to-be Freshmen student, working in his grandfather's cafe in the small town of Skaia for the summer like he always does, but when one of his old friends introduces him to some new kids, odd things can happen.





	1. Now entering Skaia, Populaton: Not much of anything

Nepeta laid in the backseat of the family car, his mother and older sister chatting in the front as they drove up from the city to the country town of Skaia, the town of a bit of people, three grade-level schools, a community college, some apartments and renting houses, and hotels and cafes with the parks. He yawned, eyes closing and sleep taking over for most of the trip, better than flying in the past few years where there were no stops to get snacks or stretch your legs for the 500-mile drive. They had good gas mileage though, and it was worth the time to go there. Nepeta had lived there until he was eight to ten years old, when they had moved up to the city for his mother's job. He had left behind memories and friends, and his grandfather's cafe, the most popular in town and the family business. It was passed down the boys in each generation, so the now fifteen old Nepeta would be the owner when he turned eighteen, or whenever his grandfather passed. His grandpa was still the head cook and owner, and was still working open to close, and no one ever left unsatisfied. Nepeta smiled, loving his work at the cafe. He wasn't the cook, but he took orders and his grandfather let him walk around without a cane, which was supposed to hold him up on his one prosthetic leg that made up for the one he lost when he was younger, and still had a limp that never went away, and it loosened his leg so that he risked falling each time is got too loose. He felt a large bump and sat up, grinning as he saw the familiar green sign, "Welcome to Skaia! Last chance for gas and food the next 200 miles!" He loved the summers in Skaia, and he had gotten a new phone so he would be able to get the numbers of his friends, since the town had surprisingly good phone service and reception.

"Hey Nep! Next corner is granddad's place!" Meulin, his older sister, called from the passenger seat, her hearing aids back in and turned up so she could hear everything around her, a large grin as big as his plastered n her face. She was a junior, to-be senior that year, and was planning on moving down to Skaia when she graduated to be with Kurloz, her long-term, long-distance boyfriend. He was mute and talked in sign language, and she was mostly deaf, but they were pretty good for each other. Nepeta looked over at the corner and the cafe, an upper level having the house they would be staying in, and the sign read closed, so they would be able to bring things in and get set up in peace that afternoon without worrying about the cafe below. Nepeta grinned even wider, jumping out the door the moment it opened to hug his grandfather, who had come out to meet them, Meulin following suit to get both of them. Boy, Nepeta loved the fresh air of the cafe and bakery next door, and the clean air of the small town. He ran to get his things, wanting to get settled in and wait outside the high school for his long-time best friend, Roxy Lalonde, who was a year older than him. He put his things in his loft bed, calling a see you later to his family before getting on the mountain pike his grandfather kept out back and pedaling as fast as he could to get to the highschool, since the locals got out a week after he did, and it had been a three day trip, so they had two days of school and he would get to meet up with Roxy the last two days and hang with her until he got a call to come back home for the night.


	2. The cool kid, The dork, The writer, The scientist, and The albino

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After school, Roxy brings Nepeta to their usual movie night, but there are a few new people that Nepeta can't help but observe. Hey, he isn't the best around new people, let him be.

As Nepeta put on his hand breaks, loosening the screws on his leg to have it lower and skid on the ground via the sole of his boots to stop his bike faster, Roxy is waiting for him at the gates. He grinned at her, green eyes lighting up as they met pink. They didn't have to say anything, Roxy knew to climb on the back pegs and hold on as he rode past the lingering students towards her home outside of town. He was faster than her on bikes, so they had fallen into the routine of him picking her up when he wasn't working. His leg didn't slow him down at all, though it didn't move very well. 

When they skidded to a stop on the gravel road, a trail of dust coming up behind them, Roxy hopped off and walked beside him as he got off the mountain bike, bringing it up to his regular spot. "Hey Nep, I got something to tell you before we go in for movies and catch-up." Roxy said it as he put his bike up, being met with a curious look. What would Roxy need to warn him about before he went in, like he had without issue every summer before? "Well, there are some new people in there, some new friends from school, and they are going to join in our movie night. I had them go ahead and walk out here to get set up, so it should be alright. Don't worry about your limp, they won't pester you about it." She gave him a hopeful smile with her black painted lips, nodding him towards the front door. Nepeta gulped, how long ago was it that he had to worry about new people? Oh that's right, when you left this town for the city, and abandoned everyone you knew for your mom's work, and your social anxiety haunted you since. You were fine with the kids you knew, like Roxy, but new people didn't work too good. And with the events that lost you your leg and Meulin most of her hearing, you weren't sure you were ready. Roxy seemed to notice your lack of movement, and jumped off the porch to grab your hand, tugging you into stumbling behind her up to the door.

The second the door opened, four kids were on the couch, though upon closer inspection there was a fifth coming down the hall, shorter than the rest and a bit grumpy. There was a large red hoodie on them, the colour clicking easily in Nepeta's brain and sending a flinch into him, making him take a step backwards behind Roxy, who tugged him back into his spot. Once she cleared her throats, the three boys and two girls looked up from the couch, smiling at Roxy and looking a bit confused when they saw Nepeta limping over to the couch with her. A paler boy with short blonde hair and shades that hid his face, next to him was a grinning girl with dark hair, and large round glasses over green eyes and tan skin, next to a boy who looked almost exactly like her, with blue eyes and the buck teeth they both shared, Nepeta noting them as looking related almost, as the second girl was, he recognized her as Roxy's younger sister Rose, and nodded to her, green orbs meeting the purple that seemed to see how nervous he was nodding back to him. Next to her was the empty spot Roxy had, and on the seat next was where Nepeta normally sat, but was taken by the red hoodie that Nepeta almost couldn't look at, let alone analyze the person wearing it without his mind trying to break down itself. He shifted, not asking them to move but just sitting in the armchair that was near them, that is, until Roxy told him he needed to get introduced before the movies. She introduced the four he didn't already know, the sunglasses-wearer being Dave, the buck-teeth twins being Jade and John, and the hoodie wearer being Karkat. He was introduced as Nepeta, and as an old friend of Roxy's, and she let him sit as the first movie was started. 

Since it was a school night for them, they stopped just before six at night, and everyone got up and stretched, the new four saying goodbyes, at least three of them. Karkat, with his red hoodie that hurt Nepeta's head, stopped and stood in front of him, being a bit shorter than him. His oddly red eyes stayed of his leg for a bit, before moving up to look up at his face, a nervous look still on him. His hair was white, and his skin lacked pigments. Nepeta was aware of Albinism, but he had never met someone with it. Karkat gave him a scowl and turned to leave without a word. Nepeta stayed looking at the door after he disappeared through it for a few minutes until an elbow nudged him, a laugh following.

"Got eyes for Karkat? I thought you were afraid of the colour red after the crash Nepeta, maybe he can turn that around for you? I gave him a paper with your work hours at the diner, and he said he might stop by and chat sometime~" She seemed to enjoy his reaction, red covering his face and going to his ears as he crossed his arms. "Roxy! I don't have t stay and help you clean up after movie night. I could always go back to the diner." Roxy quickly stopped heckling him, just recruiting him to help her with the movie cases and cleaning up trash, which he easily helped with. But, once he started wincing from a pain in his leg, Roxy was quick to have him go back home, saying that the next day she would meet him at the diner and chat after his shift, which he reluctantly agreed to. He hobbled outside, Roxy making sure he got down the road good in the dimming light before returning to clean up duty. He wondered if Karkat would be at the diner the next day, and if he would sit with him and Roxy or if he would just shrug it off and never speak unless Roxy made him. He wondered if Roxy had warned them about the colour, and Karkat had wore it to see how bad he responded to it. He sighed, parking his bike out back and making his way upstairs to change into pajamas and wash up. He had eaten his fill at the movie night, and he knew he had missed dinner, so he just went up to his room to sleep, resting up for work in the morning.


	3. No work? That's different.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After learning that he doesn't have work that summer, Nepeta is free to hang out with Roxy and, who has now begun hanging out with them, Karkat nearly everyday now!

Nepeta is woken up by the familiar meowing ringtone that he had set for Roxy. Groaning and sitting up on his bed, he answered the phone, looking at his digital clock. "Nep, dude, where are you? Me and Karkat are sitting in the diner waiting for you! I called three times and you didn't pick up, I thought you got hurt or something!" Nepeta hissed at the time, it was almost four in the afternoon and no one had woke him up! Roxy was still rambling to him about getting to the diner from wherever he was so they could chat and discuss how to spend the day, since Meulin had taken over his shifts that summer due to Kurloz being out of town for a while.

Nepeta groaned and mumbled, agreeing to throw some clothes on and come down in a few minutes. After putting on his usual green hoodie and pulling on some cargo pants, he stood up, only to fall down at his leg being off. Roxy laughed, being on speaker phone with him. "Dude, I heard the thud from that down here! Are you really just getting out of bed? Me and Karkat could just come up there while you get ready. I've been up there and Karkat seems pretty keen on seeing where you stay down here." There was a shout from beside her that he could hear, assuming it was Karkat and giving them permission to come up. He reached for his leg, since it was leaning against the doorway, groaning in annoyance as it was out of his reach. He pulled his shoes over, trying to hurry and get himself ready before the footsteps reached him.

A gasp at the door punctuated that someone was there, and he jumped as he heard it. He looked over, more panic adding as he saw Karkat standing at his door with a laughing Roxy, still wearing the red hoodie from the night before. The boy's red eyes swapped between the hunk of plastic that was his leg leaning on the frame by him, to the cat-carving emblazoned walking stick he used to get around behind the counter, to the boy quite literally laying on the floor, his green eyes wide and his breathing rather fast. The fright of the boy suddenly coming in, along with the colour he was so afraid of, was sending him into a panic attack now. Roxy quickly stopped laughing, nudging Karkat out of the room so Nepeta could cool down, one hand bringing his leg over while the other rubbed circles between his shoulder blades and on the back of his neck, though she quickly laid his leg by him and pulled him up into a hug. "Hey, Nepeta, it's alright, shh, it's okay, we're here." Roxy comforted the boy out of one of his attacks, as Karkat peered in at them, watching the two work like almost siblings at comforting each other. He sighed, shaking his head and putting on a grumpy face more than the odd one he had on. He turned to sit outside, waiting for Nepeta to calm down. When he did, as much as he refused the help, Roxy fastened his leg in place better than he normally could manage after that, and helped him get to his feet. She handed him his walking stick, assuring him that she wanted him to have it when he walked since his leg was bugging him the night before.

When they went outside, Karkat had turned his hoodie inside out so that the black interior showed, not wanting to send the boy off again. "Sorry Nepeta, I didn't know that you would flip out like that.." He mumbled it to him, but it was still an apology, and the most he had said to Nepeta at that. After Nepeta reassured him he was alright, he got some toast and ate it on their way down to the diner, his walking stick keeping him balanced on one side as Roxy kept him steady on the stairs with the other. She joked about him needing one of those stair-climbers that old people often got, the kind where you hook a chair onto the rail and ride it up, but he shook his head and laughed it off. Karkat laughed with them after a bit, and they were soon out into the street. Nepeta took in a deep breath of the air, it being easier to breathe down in the country than in the big city, where the air was clouded with smoke. He had kept most of his pay in a little bank up in his room, so he had spending money for down here. They settled on the park, and they were off to go hang out where most of the local teenagers went.

They stayed there for a bit before Karkat got a call, mumbling something about a Strider, before putting it on speaker so they could hear Dave talking. His bro was apparently going out of town for a week, and told them to pack their things and come down and stay. Nepeta stayed silent through it, not that sure about Dave, but Roxy said she would bring Nepeta over with her and Karkat, which Dave questioned as, "Wasn't that the limping new kid from last night? I didn't see him at school, what is he, home schooled and mute or something?" Nepeta frowned at it, speaking up in his mousy voice. "I'm not mute, I just don't talk much. And I only live down here during summer vacation, and mine starts a week before you guys get out." There was a laugh at his reaction, and a comment on how his voice didn't seem like he thought it would. The boy looked rather roughed up, and he expected a deeper voice than the squeaky mouse one he was met with. But they decided to let Nepeta ask his mom about staying the week with Dave, or at least the night, since his friends never went the last day of school, which very little did and they already had all their stuff home. His mom texted that it was fine and he just had to pack his week-worth of clothes to bring in his duffel bag, and they went to their individual homes to pack and meet up at the diner when they were ready.


	4. The Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you go to a sleepover at the local cool-kid's house, you gotta be careful what happens, and never leave your closest friend's side unless you feel comfortable, which you almost never do at an almost complete stranger's house.

Once the three were packed and ready, they bade Nepeta's family a see ya and ran down the street. Dave's house was a few blocks away, so they didn't need to drive. Nepeta had his wallet and cane with him, though when Dave buzzed them in from upstairs through the speaker, he stashed it in his bag and limped into the hall from the elevator. He stepped to the side though, letting Roxy and Karkat lead the way. However, the elevator had broken down halfway to the top floor, where Dave lived, so Roxy made Nepeta get his cane back out so they could climb the stairs. Karkat led, with Nepeta in the middle and Roxy at the end of their line to make sure he didn't fall or overdo himself on the stairs. There was a squeaking from his leg coming loose, so Nepeta had to often stop and re-screw it with the dial holding it on. Karkat was still a bit put off by his leg, but he helped steady the boy when he stumbled, and it soon fell into them being on the same step as each other with Nepeta being held up between them, having his hobble slowing him down enough that they did this.

Soon enough they were on the top floor, and Nepeta stashed his cane away once again as Karkat led them to the room that led to the Strider's apartment. It looked normal from the outside, having the same oak doors that all the other ones did, well, the other ones were less kept and it seemed like no one lived in any of the apartments after the fifth or sixth floor anyway, so they probably had the floor to themselves. Nepeta tightened his leg up while they waited, the door soon opening to show Dave, with Jade and John already on the couch with Rose talking with them. When Dave announced that everyone was there, everyone seemed excited for the sleepover to officially begin. 

Nepeta glanced to the side, seeing another door down by where another room was supposed to start. He blinked, wondering how Dave's household had gotten away with knocking down walls to expand their apartment, but quickly chalked its approval up to no one wanting to be that high up when it got really hot in the summer and no one lived up there anyway, besides them of course. He followed Roxy and Karkat in, setting his bag by everyone else's and taking a seat in a chair. How bad could a week be? He may be reserved for a good portion on if, but he should be fine. There were pizzas on the table soon, and twenty-four packs of cans and 3 liters of soda on the tables, with chips and dips and all kinds of junk food and snacks for them to feast on during the week. 

They started up movies, and didn't stop until everyone was close to passing out at around 3 in the morning the next morning. It started with everyone in the same spot, and soon turned to Nepeta moving over to the couch by Roxy when Karkat went to the bathroom down the hall, since Roxy decided to get Nepeta involved somehow, and Karkat seemed a bit annoyed when his spot was stolen. When Dave mentioned that Karkat was gonna have to claim his spot or sit in the armchair, a fist came down on Nepeta's real leg, making him quickly move to give him room to sit between him and Roxy, and a comment from Dave that Karkat wasn't hitting the closer leg to him, and could have gotten him to stand if he had hit it and would have hit him harder if he didn't have to reach over. Karkat yelled an insult to him about shutting his trap, and their movies continued.

By the three am mark, Nepeta was dozing off at the side of the couch, Roxy leaning on his shoulder and Karkat ending up laying across his lap as Dave took pictures for later, probably to tease Karkat, and suggested Nepeta that he might not want to move, or he would wake up his boyfriend and girlfriend, which got a red face and a whispered yell about how they weren't dating him, and that Roxy was more like a sister than anything else to him. Dave shrugged, laying a blanket over the three before retrieving two more for Jade and Rose, who did the same as Roxy and Karkat were doing to Nepeta to Dave once he sat down, getting a sigh and a shake of the head from him. Nepeta felt himself drifting off and let sleep take over, eyes closing as he relaxed under the two friends of his. He knew his leg was going to be hurting from the tight screws digging in all night without being loosened or removed, but he would deal with it the next morning.


	5. The Prank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a little incident waking up, Nepeta has to finally deal with his leg and find a way to move about without disturbing the other sleeping kids in the house.

Nepeta groaned as he woke up, a bit fuzzy on what had happened earlier. He saw the TV screen off, and the lights dimmed from the night before. The dip was put up, but the chips and other things stayed out like they had been the night before. He glanced over, seeing Roxy still asleep on his shoulder, and blinked as he didn't see the Albino asleep on his lap, but almost straddling him, his head resting on Nepeta's shoulder and his arms wrapped around his sides. He gulped, shifting under him and slowly unwrapping his arms. He was sure his face was bright red, and he had to move slowly to make sure he didn't wake up either of the sleeping kids that were leaning on him. He laid the two on the couch, noticing Dave in the same situation, Rose and Jade on either shoulder, but with John's back to his chest and Dave's arms..looped around his waist and holding him against him? He shrugged, snapping a picture of the four so he could get an answer about it later, before biting his lip at the pain in his leg. He hobbled off to his bag, getting a change of clothes and his pain medicine before finding the bathroom.

He locked the door behind him, well he closed it. There was no lock to be found, so he had to just hope no one walked in and saw his leg being on the floor and a bottle of pills on the counter. He didn't take them with food or water, he just swallowed a few dry and stashed it back in his bag before he went to change. He slid on a green shirt with some jeans, not brave enough to wear shorts with his leg. One was plastic, sure, but the other was still massively scarred up. He sighed, moving the nub on his bad leg before standing on one leg and looking down, a hand holding the counter to steady himself as he looked at how different his legs looked without it. His right side was covered by the jeans, but the cloth stopped at mid thigh at the other, with an empty space on it. He grinned, remembering how John had been trying to prank everyone the night before, about how he could easily outdo John. He held onto the wall, peeking out at the living room with everyone starting to wake up. He had his bag by the door, so he stashed his leg in it before anyone could spot him. Then he put his plan into play to give them a scare.

He waited for them to wake up a bit more and notice he was gone, before hopping out of the bathroom with a shout. He let himself fall on the floor, eyes wide as he yelled for them, about his leg being gone and straining to keep his act up as he heard them freaking out because there was a kid on the floor, crawling towards them with a leg MISSING. Roxy was caught off guard, but she soon realized what was going on and gave him a look, while Karkat jumped and screeched, forgetting for the moment about what he had found out the other day. Dave jumped up, yelling all kinds of things that Nepeta didn't understand as John screamed and Jade ran over to him, stumbling and trying to pick him up.

Roxy eventually had enough and walked over, having dealt with his leg long enough to know how to handle it. She stepped over him, going to his bag and taking out his leg, adding confusion to the scared mass that was the party. She waved the prosthetic in the air, declaring that he was messing with them and bonking Nep on the head with it. She pushed up the empty leg of his pants, showing the group the cleanly cut, rounded nub at his thigh. "He's just messing with us, calm down. He's alright, he's been like this for a while." She picked up Nepeta, bringing the laughing boy over to them as Karkat yelled obscenities at him, remembering what he had seen the other day and hitting his shoulder. Once they were all calmed down, and John congratulated Nepeta on the awesome prank, they fell into an order of getting dressed and eating leftover pizza for breakfast. After they understood Nepeta's leg, they had a laugh about his prank and went about with some more movies and games.


End file.
